Shoe-shining machine



Sept. 2, 1930. J. T. UDEN SHOE SHINING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23, 1928 3 35' @[1008 77 UDEN INVENTOR ATTORNEY Sept. 2, 1930. UDEN 1,774,576 suos SHINING MAcfiINE Filed June 23. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JAUOA 7.' 006' INVENTOR 7 WWW ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 2, 1930 PATENT OFFICE JACOB T. UDEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOE-SHININ G IVIACHINE Application filed June 23, 1928.

My invention relates to shoe shining machines and has a particular reference to machines adapted to shine shoes with continuously moving belts.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine which can clean dirt from shoes, cover them with a shoe shining composition or a shoe polish, and to finally polish them, the operations being performed automatical- I0 ly upon closing the electric switch.

My invention is more fully described in the accompanying specification and drawing in which Fig. 1 is a plan View of my machine, Fig. 2

is a side elevation, Fig. 3 is a partial view of same showing arrangement of levers for starting the machine and for stopping same, and Fig.4 is a detailed view of a mechanism controlling the delivery of the shoe polish.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 (Fig. 1), Fig. 6 is a longitudinalsection taken on the line 66 (Fig. 1), and Fig. 7

is a detailed View of the polishing cloth. Fig.

8 is a sectional view of the belt.

My machine consists of a platform 1 on which blocks 2 and 3 are mounted-for supporting heels 4 and soles 5 of shoes 6 to be cleaned. Small rollers 7 are rotatively sup ported under toes of the shoes and serve to guide the lower portion of an endless belt 9. his belt rubs against the sides of the shoes being guided by rollers 10, 11, 12 and 13. On the corners of the platform 1 large rollers 14 and 15 with flanges or checks 16 support and guide the belt 9, also a middle roller 17.

These rollers are rotatively mounted on vertical shafts 18.

The belt 9 can be made of leather, fabric or similar flexible material. It s upper portion, however, it also resilient and can contract in passing over the front portion of the shoes. This resilient portion 19 can be made of a knit cloth with rubber strings 100 inserted lengthwise.

One of the rollers 15 has a gear 20 in mesh with a worm 21 on the shaft extension of an electric motor 22. This motor is connected with a source of electric power 23 by wires 24 through two two-way switches 25 and 26. The contact points of the switches are con Serial No. 287,673.

nected by means of wires 27 and 28, and the middle points on which contact arms 29 are pivoted are connected with a wire 30. This arrangement of two-way switches is used for starting motor at one point and stopping it at another. The switch 25 is operated n1anually when it is desired to start the machine. The other switch 26 is made so that it can be operated automatically by the movement of the belt 9. For this purpose a roller 31 is attached tothe loweredge of the belt. This roller can slide on a bar 32 pivotally supported on a pin 33 on a bracket 34, thereby depressing the bar. The end of the bar turns a lever 35 which operates the switch 26, thereby turning the arm 29 so as to establish the contact with one of the leads 27 or 28.

The'belt 9 with the upper portion 19 has three different sections or portions: one portion 36 covered with a brush-like material or cloth which is used for wiping the dust off the shoes; one portion 37 of felt or similar cloth which is used for applying the shoe polish to the shoes, and one portion 38 of a soft cloth which is used to finally polish the shoes. The belt is pressed to the shoes on the sides with rollers 10 and 11, the rollers 10 being mounted on swinging arms 38 under tension of springs 1O. To the heels of the shoes the belt is pressed with rollers 12 and .13 rotatively mounted on shafts 41 and 42. The upper ends of these shafts are slidably mounted in slots 43 in a bar 44. The top of the shaft l1 has a hook for the end of acord or similar flexible carrier 15. This cord is passed around a sheave 4:6 on top of the shaft 42, returns to the middle of the machine and is passed around a sheave 47 from which it extends to a sheave 48 rotatively mounted on a bracket 49. The free end of the cord is attached to a weight 50. A similar cord 51 extends from the other pair of rollers 12 and 13 and is also attached to the weight 50. The bar 1% is attached in the middle to a post 52 which rests on a bar 53. This bar is slidably held by cleats 54: and 55. The top of the post has a hook 56 for a cord 57 passing over a sheave 58 rotatively mounted on a stationary post 59. The other end of the cord is attached to a spring 60 fastened at the bottom of the post 59. The tension of this spring tends to pull the bar 44 with the post 52 away from the shoes, and the weight 50 tends to pull the bar 44 toward the shoes. The weight 50, however, is greater than the force of the spring 60, so that the bar 4.4 has a tendency to move against the shoes.

The weight 50 has another cord (31 passing over a sheave 62 mounted on the extension of the bracket 49. The other end of the cord is attached to a bar (33 pivoted at one end to the top of a post (341-. The other end of this bar is connected by a cord or link (35 with the end of the bar 32.

The ends of the bar 98 can slide up and down on posts (as. t is supported on lovers (3'? to which this bar is pivotally connected by pivots ($8. The lovers are rotatively mounted on a shaft (59 supported by posts '70. The other ends of the levers 67 have toothed segments 71 in mesh with pinions 72 on a shaft 73 which rotates in bearings on brackets or posts 74. The end of the shaft 78 has a sprocket 75 for a chain T6 which is also engaged by a sprocket 77 on a shaft 78 journaled in a bearing on a standard 79. The shaft 78 has also a handle 80 with a locking lever 81 engaging a stationary ratchet wheel 82.

The shoe shining composition or slice polish is placed in containers or wells 83 supported at the sides of the belt 9 in such positions that the belt is pressed against them in its operative position, when .the rollers 12 and 13 are moved together. The wall adjacent to the belt has a plurality of apertures Set which are closed with a board 85 which can slide in the cover of the well or box 83. It is kept in the closing position by a spring 86. The board 85 also has apertures 87 which register with apertures Si in the wall of the be when the board is raised into an operative position. The well 83 is supported on a bar 99 attached to the board 98 which also supports pivots 90 and 92.

For this purpose the board 85 is suspended on a cord 8-8 from one end of a lever 89 pivoted on a pin 90. The other lever 91 is pivoted on a pin 92, the ends of these levers be ing connected by a cord or link 98. The free end of the lower lever 91 is adapted to be engaged by a piece of stiff leather 9% attached to the belt 9.

The operation of my device is as follows.

The customer places his feet on the supporting blocks 2 and 3 between the rollers 10 and 11, with the toes of the shoes under the contracted portions of the belt 19 (which forms an upper elastic portion of the belt 9). A seat may be provided for him above the machine (not shown). The current is then turned on by operating the switch 25 manually or by means of a suitable coin operating device.

The motor 22 begins to rotate moving the belt 9 in the direction of arrows (Fig. 1). The roller 31 slides otf the bar 32 which is then lifted by the weight 50 through the cord 81, lever 63 and cord 65. The weight 50 being free it overpowers the spring and in descending pulls the cords to and 51. This action causes the rollers 12 and 13 to move together thereby bringing the belt against the rounded portion of the heel and back of the shoe. At the same time the bar 4% is moved toward the shoes with the bar 53 sliding in the cleats 54 and 55. The final operative position of the bar with the rollers is shown iith dotted lines in Fig. 1 with the belt 9 tight against the back of the shoes. The belt is then also broiwht in contact with the shoe polish boxes 83. The tension of the belt is aidon'iatically adjusted by a spring 96 pushing against a sliding bearing 97 of the shaft of the wheel 15.

The vertical position of the belt for low or high shoes is adjusted by turning the handle 80 and thereby raising or lowering the bar 98 with rollers 14 and 1.7 which rotate on shafts supported by this bar.

With the first movement of the belt the brushes 36 slide over the shoes wiping oil the dust. Then the leather cams 94 come under the levers 91, raising same and operating the valve plates 85 which open the apertures 8i thereby admitting the shoe polish on the surface of the belt. The portion of the belt then transmits this polish to the shoe rubbin it on the leather. V hen the cam 94.- leaves the lever 91, the plate 85 closes the apertures Set, and the flow of shoe polish ceases. The soft portion 38 ot' the belt then finally polishes the shoes. This polishing action contiues until the roller 31 slides on the arm 32 thereby lowering it and pulling with it down the arm 63, raising the weight 50 on the cord (51. The spring 60 becoines free to act and it pulls the board 41 1: back into inoperative position with the rollers 12 and 13 moved apart as shown in Fig. 1.

The end of the arm turns the lever 35 thereby operating the switch 26 and shifting the switch arm 29 from one of the wires 21' and 28 to the other thereby opening the circuit and stopping the motor.

li ith this arrangement every time when the switch 25 is closed, the belt moves through a distance equal to its length, successively performing the three necessary operations: wiping off the dust, applying the shoe polish to the shoe leather, and polishing same with the soft cloth. The machine stops automatically upon completion of this cycle of operations, it also adjusts itself automatically to the shoes of different sizes by the action of the sliding bar 44 with the sliding rollers 12 and 13.

Both shoes are shined at the same'time and the machine is adjustable for shoes of different height.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shoe shining machine, the combi nation with supports for shoes, of an endless belt, means to slidably support said belt around each of said supports, means to move said belt, means to press said belt to shoes on said supports, and means to maintain said belt under tension, the upper portion of said belt being made of an elastic resilient material.

2. In a shoe shining machine, the combination With supports for shoes, of an endless belt, means to slidably support said belt around each of said supports, means to move said belt, means to press said belt to shoes on said support, and means to adjust the height of said belt for shoes of diflerent height.

3. In a shoe shining machine, the combination With supports for shoes, of an endless belt, a plurality of front and rear rollers supporting said belt about each of said supports, means to rotate said rollers thereby moving said belt, means topress said belt against shoes on said supports, means to raise said rear rollers with said belt for shoes of different height, and means to apply shoe polish to a predetermined portion of said belt.

4. In a shoe shining machine, the combination With supports for shoes, of an endless belt, means to slidably support said belt around said supports, means to press said belt to said shoes on said supports, means to move said belt, a container for shoe polish in a cooperative relation With said belt, means to admit said polish from said container on said belt, and a cam portion on said belt adapted to control said polish admitting means.

5. In a shoe shining machine, the combination With supports for shoes, of an endless belt, a plurality of rollers supporting said belt, means to rotate said rollers thereby moving said belt, said belt being adapted to rub against said shoes, a brush portion on said belt for Wiping; said shoes, a dauber portion on said belt for applying shoe polish to said shoes, and a smooth portion on said belt for polishing said shoes, a container for said shoe polish in a cooperative relation With said belt, means to open said container thereby admitting said polish on said dauber portion, and means to operate said opening means by said belt.

Signed at NeW York in the county of New York and State of New York this 14th day of June, A. D. 1928.

JACOB T. UDEN. 

